Everton striker Jermaine Beckford credits Scunthorpe United with invigorating his career but he had a funny way of showing his gratitude.

Beckford’s career was drifting at Leeds until he found his feet while on loan at Glanford Park and he has never really looked back, as Scunthorpe found to their cost. Beckford hit the target along with Louis Saha, Seamus Coleman, Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines.

It was just four years ago that Beckford helped the Iron to the League One title and he came back to Scunthorpe to humiliate his former club with a performance pivotal to his side’s comfortable passage through to the next round.

Saha set the ball rolling in the fourth minute, wrong-footing Rob Jones before beating Joe Murphy with a precise low shot.

Beckford doubled the lead in the 33rd minute by nodding in stand-in captain Leon Osman’s curling cross and his muted celebrations demonstrated his debt to the lowly Championship club who have now lost six consecutive home games.

Scunthorpe looked down and out but the half-time pep talk worked wonders and they were back in it 17 seconds into the second half as Josh Wright’s through-ball caught out Sylvain Distin and Michael Collins shot beyond Tim Howard.

Scunthorpe raised their game but Everton’s lead was restored in the 58th minute when Beckford led a breakaway, exchanging passes with Diniyar Bilyaletdinov before curling over an in-swinging, right-footed cross that Coleman nodded beyond Murphy.

Fellaini put the tie beyond doubt in the 73rd minute, creating space for himself before beating Murphy from the edge of the box with a measured shot before Baines completed the rout 10 minutes later.

Beckford was singled out for praise by his former Scunthorpe team-mate, the club manager Ian Baraclough. “He looked bright, he didn’t look out of place in their team, and I just hope he goes on and proves himself to be a good striker at that level,” said Baraclough.

“It’s all about confidence. Jermaine might have gone in there at Everton thinking, 'Is this a bit too much for me?’. It certainly isn’t. He looked comfortable with them and the longer runs he gets the better player he will become.”

Everton assistant manager Steve Round added: “Jermaine is really starting to come through now. It has taken a while but we knew that would happen. It is very difficult to establish yourself but he is a good finisher and a threat. We are pleased with his progress.”